a. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices and methods for remanufacturing printer cartridges, and in particular, to devices and methods for remanufacturing printer cartridges by replacing organic photoconductor (OPC) drums in the printer cartridges.
b. Background Art
Printer cartridges, such as toner cartridges, are used in various electrophotographic imaging devices, such as laser printers, copiers, facsimile machines, and multifunction imaging devices. Once original equipment manufacturer (OEM) printer cartridges are used, they are often recycled and remanufactured. The process of remanufacturing a printer cartridge may include cleaning the cartridge, repairing damaged parts, replacing worn parts, reassembling with new parts, and replenishing the cartridge with toner. The process of remanufacturing a printer cartridge requires that the printer cartridge be disassembled so that access to the various parts can be achieved, and further requires that the printer cartridge be reassembled for subsequent use.
Printer cartridges typically include organic photoconductive (OPC) drums that may be designed to be electrically charged to be able to attract toner. The OPC drum is typically one of the components that wears out from usage and gets replaced during remanufacturing. In some known printer cartridges, such as, for example, some known printer cartridges manufactured by Lexmark International, Inc. for use with Lexmark printer model numbers T650, T652, T654 and E260, E360, E460, the OPC drums may be attached to the printer cartridges in a manner that makes the OPC drums difficult to remove from the printer cartridges and may cause damage to the OPC drum, the OPC drum components, and/or other printer cartridges components during remanufacturing. For example, such known printer cartridges may include a hub assembly comprising a drive hub and a locking ring, where the hub assembly is attached to a drum axle of the OPC drum and helps to lock the OPC drum in place in the printer cartridge. During remanufacturing of such known printer cartridges, known hand tools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, spring hooks, and scraping tools, are typically used to rotate, pry off, and separate the locking ring and drive hub from the drum axle and are used to push out and remove, the locking ring and drive hub in order to remove the OPC drum. However, if not used carefully and properly, such known hand tools can damage the OPC drum, the hub assembly components, and/or other printer cartridge components. In particular, damage to the locking ring and drive hub of the hub assembly can affect or prevent their reuse with a replacement OPC drum.
It is thus desirable to be able to remove and replace an OPC drum from a printer cartridge without damage to the OPC drum, the hub assembly components, and/or other printer cartridge components. This helps preserve the appearance of the printer cartridge and minimizes remanufacturing steps. Devices and methods for efficiently and quickly removing and replacing an OPC drum from a printer cartridge are desired.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved device and method for remanufacturing printer cartridges, including replacing OPC drums, that overcomes the issues associated with known devices and methods.